diff --git a/packages/hardhat-plugin/src/internal/FhevmEnvironment.ts b/packages/hardhat-plugin/src/internal/FhevmEnvironment.ts
index b60f506..760b44e 100644
--- a/packages/hardhat-plugin/src/internal/FhevmEnvironment.ts
+++ b/packages/hardhat-plugin/src/internal/FhevmEnvironment.ts
@@ -498,6 +498,11 @@ export class FhevmEnvironment {
     return this._contractsRepository;
   }
 
+  // Non-throwing variant for use in error-handling paths where FHEVM may not be initialized.
+  public tryGetContractsRepository(): contracts.FhevmContractsRepository | undefined {
+    return this._contractsRepository;
+  }
+
   public get isDeployed(): boolean {
     return this._deployCompleted;
   }
diff --git a/packages/hardhat-plugin/src/internal/errors/FhevmContractError.ts b/packages/hardhat-plugin/src/internal/errors/FhevmContractError.ts
index 75a1bf7..9956cd2 100644
--- a/packages/hardhat-plugin/src/internal/errors/FhevmContractError.ts
+++ b/packages/hardhat-plugin/src/internal/errors/FhevmContractError.ts
@@ -225,9 +225,12 @@ function _parseEdrError(
     return undefined;
   }
 
-  const fhevmContractEntry = fhevmEnv
-    .getContractsRepository()
-    .getContractFromAddress(lastCallContractAddress)?.properties;
+  const repo = fhevmEnv.tryGetContractsRepository();
+  if (!repo) {
+    return undefined;
+  }
+
+  const fhevmContractEntry = repo.getContractFromAddress(lastCallContractAddress)?.properties;
   if (!fhevmContractEntry) {
     return undefined;
   }
@@ -308,14 +311,17 @@ export async function mutateErrorInPlace(fhevmEnv: FhevmEnvironment, e: Error, a
   const i = err.stack.indexOf("\n");
   err.stack = "Error: " + err.message + err.stack.substring(i);
 
-  const map = fhevmEnv.getContractsRepository().addressToContractMap();
+  const repo = fhevmEnv.tryGetContractsRepository();
+  if (repo) {
+    const map = repo.addressToContractMap();
 
-  Object.keys(map).forEach((contractAddress) => {
-    err.stack = err.stack?.replaceAll(
-      `at <UnrecognizedContract>.<unknown> (${contractAddress})`,
-      `at ${map[contractAddress].name}.<unknown> (${contractAddress}, ${map[contractAddress].package}/contracts/${map[contractAddress].name}.sol:0:0)`,
-    );
-  });
+    Object.keys(map).forEach((contractAddress) => {
+      err.stack = err.stack?.replaceAll(
+        `at <UnrecognizedContract>.<unknown> (${contractAddress})`,
+        `at ${map[contractAddress].name}.<unknown> (${contractAddress}, ${map[contractAddress].package}/contracts/${map[contractAddress].name}.sol:0:0)`,
+      );
+    });
+  }
 }
 
 /**
@@ -417,7 +423,12 @@ async function __formatFhevmErrorMessages(
   txHash?: string,
   txFromTo?: { from: string; to: string | null },
 ): Promise<FhevmErrorMessages | undefined> {
-  const map = fhevmEnv.getContractsRepository().addressToContractMap();
+  const repo = fhevmEnv.tryGetContractsRepository();
+  if (!repo) {
+    return undefined;
+  }
+
+  const map = repo.addressToContractMap();
   const res: {
     errorDesc: EthersT.ErrorDescription;
     contractWrapper: contracts.FhevmContractWrapper;
diff --git a/packages/hardhat-plugin/src/internal/provider/FhevmProviderExtender.ts b/packages/hardhat-plugin/src/internal/provider/FhevmProviderExtender.ts
index 4edf279..d76b9a5 100644
--- a/packages/hardhat-plugin/src/internal/provider/FhevmProviderExtender.ts
+++ b/packages/hardhat-plugin/src/internal/provider/FhevmProviderExtender.ts
@@ -36,8 +36,14 @@ export class FhevmProviderExtender extends ProviderWrapper {
   }
 
   public async request(args: RequestArguments) {
-    // test init
-    // if not init forward!
+    // When FHEVM is not deployed, pass all requests through unchanged.
+    // This allows non-FHE tasks and scripts to work without initializing
+    // the FHEVM module (e.g. contract.pause(), custom hardhat tasks, etc.)
+    // See: https://github.com/zama-ai/fhevm-mocks/issues/80
+    if (!fhevmContext.fhevmEnv?.isDeployed) {
+      return this._wrappedProvider.request(args);
+    }
+
     switch (args.method) {
       // window.ethereum
       case "eth_estimateGas":